Quick Hit Artist Interview: Disco Shrine

Disco Shrine at the Echoplex

Interview with the artist. Enjoy:

What is currently inspiring you? I really love Elohim right now. Not only is her music amazing and inspiring, but her whole message and everything she stands for is so positive. It's really refreshing to see some realness being served, especially by a badass female producer who is killing it!

You have a unique perspective on the LA music scene as you're the go to person for many (me included) when it comes to Broke LA. Can you share any interesting thoughts about the Los Angeles music scene? The industry has definitely been changing rapidly. I'll only mention the positive. I think in a lot of ways artists have a lot of power right now to take things into their own hands, which is really liberating. I also think genres are mixing; it's really cool to see people experiment with sounds and to hear those experimental sounds pop off and even play on the radio. Nostalgia is also back in a huge way with emo music and throwback vibes. I'm definitely here for it.

Back in August you had a premiere party for your music video "Up In The Air." Can you share the creative process behind making the video? Yes! I made it with director Andrew Butte. DP was Dakota Adney and the Editor was Minh Bui. The process really started when I reached out to Andrew with my song. Andrew is also a first generation Lebanese American so the message was really relatable to him too. We basically texted each other for a few weeks sending every idea we had and then set a date for me to fly up to SF, where he lives. And it really all just came together beautifully. We basically spent all weekend shooting morning until very late at night. It was so much fun and definitely worth the sleepless nights. Andrew is my go-to for everything. He also did my very first music video for Shy and the latest promo for Everyday.

There are always new bands/musicians starting out in the LA music scene. Do you have any words of wisdom to share? Don't let people discourage you. Not everyone is going to like what you're doing. All that matters is that you love what you're doing. Work hard, then work even harder.

Quick Hit Artist Interview: Jen Awad

Jen Awad at The Echo

Interview with the artist. Enjoy:

Is there a story behind when you knew you wanted to become a singer? Ummm, I always wanted to be a singer, but I knew it wasn’t a lucrative route. So I decided to try out fashion design. I wanted be John Galliano. However, that was a really difficult career and so I realized if I had the stamina to run two clothing lines, I sure as fuck could sing.

How would you like your music to impact people who listen to your music or see you play live? I want people to feel uplifted and encouraged to express themselves freely. I want to create a vulnerable environment where ppl can be honest with each other and more importantly...honest with themselves. I want my crowd to take a good hard look in the mirror and give it a kiss. I want everyone to leave feeling excited about their lives and that when I’m up there up there singing for them it’s to let them know that everything is gonna be amazing! I sing about sad, funny weird situations cuz I want everyone to know they’re not alone in all their weird sad funny situations.

Quick Hit Band Interview: Draemings

Draemings at The Echo (LA)

Q&A time with the band. Hope you enjoy:

How would you describe your sound? We have a hard time describing our sound, because it's constantly changing. Grave-wave creature pop is the current genre we use to describe ourselves on our Facebook page. I like the idea of creatures and monsters and dark shadows having full-out dance parties to our music.

Would you rather be a 1 hit wonder known all around the world -OR- have a steady underground following? And then of course, why the choice? Steady underground following. I think when you are known for that one-hit, the rest of your career you'll be expected to just make copies of that one hit, rather than continuing exploring what you have to offer as an artist. It's the difference between wanting to be famous and wanting to make great music. As a band, I think we'd rather be able to make whatever music we want, and have a fanbase that will take that journey with us.

Concert Review: Bloody Death Skull's residency at The Echoplex

This night was Bloody Death Skull's residency night at The Echoplex. Being that, one would expect some quirkiness throughout the evening.

Opening up for them was Quazar and The Bamboozled. From my understanding, the lead singer Brandon Jay writes music for Orange is the New Black. Their set was quirky and fun. The lead singer came across as a comedic magician who could, at any time, pull a rabbit out from under his top hat. At times, his hat would fly off and I would almost have bet with someone that a rabbit would have appeared sitting on the top of his head.

Zero DeZire came out on stage with one of the members wearing a duct tape bra. I was ready for another interesting set. One song was about an ex-friend's phone number and the fact that he stopped talking to one of the band members. It was hysterical. They sang a song called "It's My Birthday." In the back of my mind, I was thinking, "I've heard this song before." Well, an Internet search revealed that it was a song on HBO's Girls.

So to be honest, Happy Hollows was the reason why I selected this night to catch Bloody Death Skull. I've followed this band for years. By years, I mean that I saw them way back in 2009. I just love the infectious energy of the lead singer. They mentioned that they hadn't played a set in a year. Well, they obviously created pent up demand, because their fan base was out in force.

Bloody Death Skull is always this super quirky band. Why? Well, come on, one member of the band spent part of the set playing with dolls. When I saw this band a few months back at the Resident, she was rolling marbles around in a bowl. The lead singer donned a guerrilla mask for one song. Hopefully, those are solid enough examples of the quirkiness of this band. Vaudeville like magic.

Quick Hit Band Interview: Happy Hollows

Happy Hollows at the Echoplex (LA)

Q&A time with the band. Hope you enjoy:

How would you describe your sound? Our sound is a blend of rhythmic synthesizers and spiky, angular guitars. On top of that, we layer Sarah's expressive vocals. I think we certainly take inspiration from the post-punk era of music in the late 1970s and early 1980s, but we put our own distinct spin on that sound.

What are your favorite gigs We've had many fun shows over the years, but some of the best are the Fillmore with Silversun Pickups, the Great American Music Hall with Deerhoof, and Emo's with Lucius.